


Diamond in the Rough

by theimpossiblepossiblegirl



Series: 52 Short Stories in 52 Weeks [32]
Category: Broadchurch, Secret Diary of a Call Girl (TV)
Genre: F/M, Mentions of Death, Mentions of Suicide, hope diamond curse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-08
Packaged: 2018-08-07 08:25:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7707898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theimpossiblepossiblegirl/pseuds/theimpossiblepossiblegirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Hannah starts on a new book, she decides to do some research about the Hope Diamond. One rainy day Alec is off and she decides to tell him all about her research.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Diamond in the Rough

**Author's Note:**

> Week Thirty-two: A story about a curse.

Hannah looked out of the window and let out a quiet sigh. It had been raining for the last week and the only glimmer of hope she had was that it wasn’t supposed to be raining today, but it was. Alec had promised to go on a drive with her since it had been his first day off in two weeks. She felt him press a kiss to the top of her head before settling down on the couch next to her.

“Are you going to get dressed at any point today?” He grumbled as he grabbed the remote for the television.

“I have knickers and a vest on. You already told me we weren’t going outside today so what’s the point of getting dressed?” She nudged his thigh with her toes. “You’re only wearing pajamas so you can’t comment.”

Alec placed his hand on her leg and ran his hand up and down the smooth skin as he searched for something to watch. “How’s the writing going?”

“Two weeks and that’s what you want to talk about?”

“I told you I would be working until we catch the killer.”

“Which they still haven’t.”

“I can’t leave Hall in charge.”

Hannah rolled her eyes and sat up slightly, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “I just miss you.”

“I miss you too.” Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Alec leaned back and handed her the remote. “The case will be over soon.”

Hannah simply nodded as she searched through the channels. Find a documentary she settled on that before tossing the remote down on the coffee table.

“What is this?”

“Looks like something about curses. Looks like they’ll do something about the Hope Diamond.”

“What’s special about that one?”

“Everyone that’s owned it has died or has been killed. You’ve never heard about it?”

“No.”

“It started with Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette being guillotined. All other owners have died not long after having possession of it. The last person was Harry Winston.”

“The jeweler?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought he was old when he died.”

Hannah smiled softly as she rested her head against his chest. “He was. But that’s not the point. Everyone says it’s cursed.”

“People die all the time, Han.”

“But the people that have owned the diamond have either been hanged, killed, or committed suicide. That’s not normal. Not only that, there were people that had been attached, owners have been in financial ruin after owning it.” She explained, tilting her head up to look at him.

“Why do you know so much about this?”

“I researched it for my book. I took your advice and started writing about something else. I’m enjoying it.”

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, knowing that she would have told him had he been home. “What else have you been researching?”

“I focused on the diamond.” She admitted sheepishly. “I’m writing about someone investigating the disappearance of the diamond from the National Museum of Natural History. Thought I might take a trip and see it.”

“By yourself?” He questioned softly as he ran his fingers through her hair.

“I was going to ask you if you wanted to go with me.”

“Whenever you want to go.”

“You’d have to go on a plane, Alec.”

“I can handle flying, Han.”

“Then we’ll go. Just tell me when you can get some leave time.”

“Aye, I will.”

“Anyway, the diamond was named after the Hope family, after they took ownership of it. There were so many arguments about the estate of Henry Philip Hope after he died. All of his jewels and things were split up. It stayed in the family for a while before it was sold to pay some debts.”

“Then where did it go?”

“There’s no clear picture of what happened then. Some sources said it was kept in a safe in America, only to be brought out to show off to wealthy Americans. Others said it was sold then bought back by this bloke, Frankel. It was sold to a Turkish diamond collector in 1908.”

“For a cursed stone, it made its way around.” Alec snorted softly, leaning his head back against the couch.

“Hush. It was sold to Pierre Cartier who tried to sell it to some socialite and her husband but once they heard about the supposed bad luck, they tried to back out of it. Cartier took them to court and they eventually bought it. She bequeathed it to her grandchildren when she died.” Hannah pursed her lips. “Both Cartier and Winston had this diamond.”

“I don’t see the significance in that, love.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “They’re both successful jewelers, Alec.”

“Right, sorry. Continue.”

“After Winston bought all of this woman’s jewelry he created some sort of Court of Jewels Tour around the States. That lasted for a while before he donated it to the Smithsonian. It’s been in the National Museum of Natural History for forty plus years now. It’s been reset a few times and was even displayed by itself for a while. There’s around 500 or so replicas of this thing.”

“You really researched this, haven’t you?”

“Yes. I really think this curse is real though, Alec. The woman who owned it, her son died in a car crash at age nine, her daughter committed suicide at age twenty-five. Her husband was committed to a mental institution where he died.”

“I think you need a break from research, Hannah.”

“I’m fine. I think I have everything I need.” She leaned her head up and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I did have nightmares about it for a few days.”

He frowned slightly as he wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled a kiss into her hair. “It’s probably not true. They don’t have anything concrete about this fabled curse.” He ran his fingers gently through her hair. “Don’t get too wrapped into this. I know what it can do to someone.”

Knowing he was talking about the Sandbrook and Broadchurch murders, Hannah nodded her head swiftly. “I won’t.”

“If you need a distraction, I can help you.” He gave her a grin, knowing it would make her feel better.

She laughed softly and fisted his shirt in her hand. “I know. We’re both good at that.”

“You’re more than that to me, Hannah.”

“I know, Alec. I know.” Leaning in, she met his lips for a quick kiss. “Find something else for us to watch. I’m going to grab a blanket.”

Once she was up from the couch, Alec quickly flipped through the channels, trying to find something he could easily distract her from if he wanted. He didn’t like that she had nightmares and he couldn’t be there for her. She had been there for him during many. He vowed to find the killer and soon so they could return to normal.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: All information indicated about the Hope Diamond was found on Wikipedia and other various sites.


End file.
